Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- We 're doing well , President Barack Obama told business leaders Tuesday , but it could be better if not for political hijinks in Washington .

In remarks at a Wall Street Journal conference , Obama said policy decisions in his first term in response to the Great Recession had spurred a recovery that could be better .

`` America is poised for a breakout , '' he declared , noting that stock markets and corporate profits were `` soaring '' and that `` we are in a good position to compete around the world in the 21st century . ''

Now , Obama said , the challenge was to ensure opportunity for all to address too-high unemployment and stagnating incomes as growth continues .

In particular , he cited the 16-day government shutdown in October as an example of what he called `` self-inflicted '' wounds caused by dysfunctional politics in Washington .

`` We have to stop governing by crisis in this town , '' Obama said , making clear he blamed Republicans for a failure to achieve compromise on major issues such as immigration reform and a comprehensive deficit reduction agreement .

`` We should not be injuring ourselves every few months . We should be investing in ourselves , '' the President said in advocating a budget approach that includes deficit reduction as well as strategic spending on education , infrastructure and technology .

On immigration , Obama noted that the Democrat-led Senate has passed a reform measure that analysts say would grow the economy and shrink deficits . However , House Republicans have refused to bring up the Senate plan .

`` You would n't turn down a deal that good , '' he said . `` Congress should n't , either . ''

At the same time , the President said he was open to passing a series of immigration reform measures instead of the comprehensive legislation that won Senate approval -- as long as all the necessary components are included .

Obama also addressed the major issue of the day , saying the HealthCare.gov website problems have hurt efforts to address the biggest contributor to the nation 's debt -- rising health care costs .

Asked what lesson he had learned , Obama said that `` we probably underestimated the complexities of building out a website . '' He also said the ordeal showed that `` the way the federal government does procurement and IT -LRB- information technology -RRB- is just generally not very efficient . ''

`` We probably need to blow up how '' the government contracts information technology services , Obama said .

In a lighter moment , Obama noted that some people call him a socialist , and he said to laughter his accusers need to get out into the world more .

`` You 've got to meet real socialists to know what a real socialist is , '' he said , noting that he advocates a lower corporate tax rate and that the stock market `` is doing pretty good . ''

Obama 's support slips ; controversies , sluggish economy cited

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NEW : President says healthcare website problem shows government IT gap

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NEW : Obama tells business leaders he 's no socialist

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`` America is poised for a breakout , '' Obama says

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Self-inflicted wounds from constant political crises hinder growth , Obama says